1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for providing electrical power in response to deposited coins and more particularly pertains to allowing campers, truckers, motorists or the like to purchase the use of electrical outlets for the amounts of time for which they pay.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of electrical outlets is known in the prior art. More specifically, electrical outlets heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of allowing an electrical hookup at a convenient site are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, the prior art discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 3,637,059 a coin-operated electric power supply station especially adapted for use in remote unsupervised locations.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,363 discloses a parking meter which electrically indicates "remaining time" and which electrically operates only in the presence of a vehicle and when there is "paid-for" time on the meter, for example, unused time by one departing motorist is cancelled.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,205 discloses an arrangement for resetting a coin operated parking meter by utilizing a sensor to monitor a parking space by determining when a vehicle leaves the parking space with parking time remaining.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,418 discloses a structure for and method of charging an electric vehicle at a parking location and facilitating billing for the charging energy utilized and the parking time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,358 discloses a coin control system for determining whether proper coinage has been inserted to start a coin operated device.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,707 also discloses a parking meter system.
In this respect, the system for providing electrical power in response to deposited coins according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of allowing campers, truckers or the like to purchase the use of electrical outlets.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for new and improved System for providing electrical power in response to deposited coins which can be used for allowing campers, truckers or the like to purchase the use of electrical outlets for the amounts of time they pay for. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.